OCL Information

What if the Office of the Children’s Lawyer (OCL) wants to do an assessment during access?

The assessors from the Office of the Children’s Lawyer must contact our office to make arrangements for their meeting. The OCL must also fax the consent from both parties to our office.

If other parties request copies of the observation reports, will the reports be provided to the OCL as well?

No, the OCL should make a separate request if they require copies of the reports.

How should the OCL make payment?

APCO will fax the invoice to the OCL office and will allow up to thirty days for payment.

Can the OCL receive information or discuss its cases with APCO staff over the phone?

No, our program will not share or discuss client information over the phone. Exceptions will be made with the approval and authorization of the Program Director only.

Can the OCL attend APCO’s office to review the observation reports?

Due to a high volume of clients using APCO, it is not possible for the OCL to conduct reviews of observation reports at the APCO office. Our program will only allow the OCL to have access to client observation reports if the OCL makes a request in writing and sends the client’s consent. Observation reports will be photocopied and sent to the OCL’s office by courier.

APCO’s policy about the OCL observing visits is that:

1) The OCL must be part of the court order.

2) The OCL must contact the centre Supervisor to book a time for such observation in advance.

3) The OCL must provide APCO with consent forms from both parties.

4) APCO staff must be present during the visit.

5) If parties need an interpreter, APCO will provide an interpreter, using the interpreter services APCO is registered with.

6) If the OCL needs to get a copy of our observation note, they can do so by following the "request for reports" policy.

7) The OCL will not be permitted to observe two visits/two clients at the same time.

Court Order Requirements | Summons Procedure | CAS Involvement | Bail Conditions | How to obtain observation reports | Visit time slots | OCL Information

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